Baan Pattaya Plus Apartment

It feels quiet and peaceful, with a homely atmosphere that made it feel like I wasn't far from home. The staff were excellent, and the restaurant served lovely Thai food.

The rooms were comfortable and clean, a nice place to unwind after a day out, and the staff were friendly and ready to help with requests. Baan Pattaya PLUS Hotel is conveniently placed for getting around Pattaya and seeing the attractions. It doesn't have a wide range of amenities, but the price is good value. A budget-friendly option worth considering.

I came back the next day to inspect it, as promised, and it wasn't to my taste as someone who cooks and stays for a while. It feels more like an apartotel, and others might be happy renting by the month. A European tenant told me he only occasionally heard the nearby club, and that it stopped by 02:00. I wouldn't stay here, though others may like it. The good bits: the pool and gym are both five stars, with the gym well equipped even for a non-jock. It's near two large stores, and the restaurant nextdoor belongs to the same company. There's a washing machine on the grounds nextdoor, a swing for two in the mini-garden, and a safe in the closet. The issues: no ceiling or standing fan, and the cooking area is by the entrance instead of near the sliding door or window. There's no ventilation unless you leave the door open to the hall, so cooking garlic and onions would affect the neighbors, and there's no fan to remove the fumes. Water has a minimum 300 charge, which feels like a misleading price since you can't avoid paying it. Electricity is 8 baht per unit, when I thought the city charged 4. The large closet is poorly designed: its mirrored doors have no handles, and one catches on the drawer below. There are no water dispensers in the lobby, and the worker area is rather sloppy. Some things were neutral for me: 'free' cleaning twice a week seemed more frequent than I needed. The room looks pretty, though all the white could soil easily. The small-medium dining table and two chairs seem set up for one person to eat there occasionally. There's a bachelor-size drying rack on the small balcony, and a huge mattress of medium quality. Rent was 14.3K. The swimming pool, gym, location, same-company restaurant and garden swing were all five stars; the washing machine and safe got four. For comparison, Ban Pattaya, the sister property to the north, isn't currently on Google Maps, almost as if it doesn't exist. It's a separate building and could be a better deal. It has no vacancy, which is a good sign, and costs 9K, or 7.5K with a six-month contract. Cooking might be better there, with the sink on the balcony in the older Thai customary style. Cleaning can be paid per visit, at 300. The downsides are smaller rooms, a deceptive wide-angle photo, and the same minimum water charge. The nearby club price initially put me off too: 15K plus another 3K for some aircon use might be too rich for my blood. I have no experience of that charge.

The people here are super friendly and helpful, and for a budget place it's not bad. Just be prepared for shower water that's hard to get to a comfortable temperature, it seems to be either hot or cold. There's no elevator.